1 month ago
3
The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, has made an earnest plea to the citizens of Nigeria to temporarily halt the ongoing nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, aimed at decrying the hunger and economic challenges currently faced in the country.
Naija News reports that Audu’s appeal was conveyed through a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Lizzy Okoji, in Abuja on Saturday.
The nationwide protest, which began on August 1 and is scheduled to conclude on August 10, was organized in response to the prevailing challenges within the nation.
However, as the protest enters its third day, Shuaibu implored Nigerians to opt for dialogue to address all their grievances concerning the prevailing hardships in the country.
Furthermore, the Minister encouraged them to place their trust in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which is diligently working towards resolving the issues faced by the nation.
Shuaibu emphasized that the policies and strategic initiatives of the current administration are geared towards propelling Nigeria towards economic prosperity, enhanced welfare, quality education, and bolstered healthcare systems.
He reiterated that additional policies are directed towards enhancing social amenities, ensuring food security, and advancing infrastructural development, among other objectives.
The minister assured Nigerians that their aspirations for good governance will be realized before the conclusion of the current administration’s initial term.
He said, “Mr President has shown countless times, his concern for the plight of Nigerians, with the recent implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage for workers.
“Driving the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative with CNG vehicles to cushion the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy, which will reduce the cost of transportation by at least 70 per cent.
“In response to the challenges of the masses in the face of the ongoing reforms, President Tinubu directed the disbursement of N50,000 uplift grants each to over 100,000 families per state for three months.
“This will impact close to 5,000,000 families nationwide. My colleague, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, with the directive of Mr President, has assured Nigerians that food prices will crash in 180 days.
“These are strategic measures aimed at addressing the high food prices currently affecting the nation being implemented.”
Audu mentioned that 250,000 metric tons of wheat and 250,000 metric tons of maize were being brought in for distribution to small-scale processors and millers nationwide.
He elaborated on the president’s initiative to revamp the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to enhance access to high-quality and cost-effective healthcare services in the country.
“In the steel sector, the ongoing reforms to revive our steel plants will create over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, while we attract Foreign Direct Investments as a means of growing and diversifying the economy,” he said.
The minister urged Nigerians to cease the protest, pointing out that troublemakers had taken over, resulting in chaos and a disruption of peace and order nationwide.
He praised the citizens of Kogi for abstaining from joining the protest, highlighting their choice to engage in discussions and work together with the government led by the All Progressive Congress in the state.
English (US) ·